SIBLING RIVALRY GETS A CAUSTIC BURN.

Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic

WITH HIS EARLIER WORKS ``The Cripple of Inishmaan'' and ``The Beauty Queen of Leenane,'' Irish playwright Martin McDonagh writes for those of us who like our humor laced with battery acid. Admittedly, the man's plays are not for the squeamish, and things don't get much more over-the-top grim than ``The Lonesome West,'' McDonagh's ode to feuding brothers and, in a twisted kind of way, the Catholic Church.

At the Celtic Arts Center, where ``Lonesome West'' gets its L.A. County premiere, director Thom MacNamara certainly plugs into the playwright's grunginess. There are laughs to be had (many of the ``did he really just say that?'' variety) and a certain amount of pathos. What slim traces of tenderness are to be located, MacNamara finds, largely through the performance of Jason McCune as an ineffectual but well-meaning priest. Even so, this is tough stuff to connect with, and these characters come off far more repugnant than mesmerizing.

``I don't fit in,'' laments McCune's Father Welsh. ``Of course, I'd have to kill half me (expletive) relatives to fit into this town.'' It's a laugh line, but also a truth. Leenane, in the west of County Galway, is a hotbed of gleeful grunge and human misery, most of it too routine for the Leenane-ers to find it shocking.

Our play begins with a funeral, the first of three. We are treated to tales of sons murdering fathers; girls' soccer teams putting opposing players in the hospital; schoolgirls peddling hooch; pencils stuck in throats; and dogs getting their ears snipped off with shears.

Tenuously occupying the same cramped family farmhouse are Coleman (John McKenna) and Valene Connor (Steve Gunning), a pair of 40-something brothers who probably came out of the womb swinging. What actually started this feud is now beyond the point, but the siblings now have fresh ire to mine.

After hot-headed Coleman shot their father to death, Valene agreed to call the incident an accident. In return, Coleman deeds the house and all its contents to Valene. Since the two men still live in the same house, Valene takes every opportunity to lord his position - and his goods - over Coleman. The two men are at each other's throats over everything from past slights to the possession of a bag of potato chips.

Father Welsh tries to intercede, but only a desperate act allows him to make some headway with the two brothers. Also present is the teen-aged Girleen (Louise Lennon), who nurses a crush for the priest.

MacNamara's sparse, wallpaper-peeling set design has the appropriate air of confinement (although the doors to the brothers' bedrooms look vaguely like they should have ``Ladies'' and ``Gents'' logos). Much of the action takes place in a pair of uncomfortable-looking chairs set center stage or on the floor when the brothers go at it. A window-side table and chairs are finally put to use during the climactic ``I can top that'' showdown between Coleman and Val, as horrific - and predictable - a scene as you're likely to witness.

Gunning and McKenna are equally loathsome and desperate; clearly, they feed each other's rage. The play's most human moment comes from McCune, who challenges the brothers to essentially make up at their souls' peril. It's the rare ray of compassion amid a sea of darkly humorous gloom. Were McDonagh really up for a challenge, he might center a play within the Leenane Office of Tourism. (Y'all come back now!)

THE LONESOME WEST - Two and one half stars

Where: Celtic Arts Center, 4843 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Studio City.

When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday; through July 28.

Tickets: $15. Call [phone].

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Photo:

(1 -- 2) In County Galway, Steve Gunning, left, and John McKenna share brotherly bruises while Louise Lennon carries a torch for Jason McCune, below, in ``The Lonesome West'' at the Celtic Arts Center.